Stonehedge North & South Golf Club, Augusta, MI

When golfers think of Augusta, their first thought in all likelihood is The Masters and Augusta National on a bright sunny day in April. I doubt it’s that small town in Michigan, midway between Battle Creek and Kalamazoo. But maybe it should be because Augusta, Michigan is home to one of the largest golf resorts in the country: Gull Lake View Golf Resort. There are 108 holes within a 12-mile radius of Augusta, Mich., and offers more holes than Bandon Dunes, PGA National, or Pebble Beach Resorts. It is among the five largest golf resorts in the country. Five of the six courses have been certified as Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries since 1995.

Gull Lake View Golf Club and Resort has been owned and operated by the Scott family for over 50 years. Every day, four generations of Scotts go to work at the resort in one capacity or another. There were no big-name golf course architects called in to build the golf courses; no Tom Fazio, no Pete Dye, no Ron Garl. Gull Lake View is a did-it-themselves golf resort. Except for Bedford Valley – which was purchased by the Scott family in 1988 and with a little help from Tom Doak’s Renaissance Golf Design on Stoatin Brae - the golf courses were designed and built by the Scotts. Renaissance helped out with the bunkering and greens on Stoating Brae, as well as doing some of the labor. The shaping and contouring of the golf course were done by the Scotts.

Darl and Letha are the matriarch and patriarch of the Scott family and were the first generation of Scotts to be involved with the property. Darl used to be the superintendent at nearby Gull Lake Country Club and the couple also owned the Gull Lake Motel. The Scotts sold the motel to get the funds to build their first course, Gull Lake View West, which opened in 1965.

Gull Lake View’s fifth course, Stonehedge North, was designed by Charles and Jon Scott and opened in 1995. If you like golf courses with a lot of trees and dramatic elevation changes, you will fall in love with Stonehedge North. The course is made up of six par threes, six par fours, and six par fives and is wide open compared to the South Course. The front nine is relatively open and flat, while the back nine is wooded with significant elevation changes. The greens tend to be on the large side and can leave some long putts on poorly hit approach shots. The course ends with an interesting par 5; a 527-yard dogleg left. Calling it a dogleg is an understatement; the hole turns 90 degrees to the left at the top of the hill. The fairway bunker on the left side is about 200 yards off the tee, so if you can carry it off the tee, you can shave some yardage off. Fairway bunkers also come into play on your layup shot on either side of the fairway. Navigate them successfully and you’ll leave a short pitch into a green. A back-left pin position may pose a problem as you’ll have a large tree and bunker to contend with. Par is a great way to end your round.

Knowing that they needed a place for golfers to stay, Darl and Letha designed and constructed the Fairway Villas, located across the street from the East and West courses. These 2-bedroom, 2 bath villas boast fully equipped kitchens, spacious living areas, and patios overlooking the golf course. They are the perfect accommodations for groups of four to relax and enjoy everything Southwest Michigan’s finest golf resort has to offer. Since then, about 24 2-bedroom, 2-bath villas have been added which has increased the number of lodging options to 67 units.

Although the majority of Gull Lake View’s guests come from Detroit, Chicago, and Toledo, it’s not uncommon to meet golfers from Cincinnati, and Wisconsin, and Canada while you’re there. Golfers may come out to just play Stoatin Brae but once they get a feel for one of the other courses, they’re hooked! And at Gull Lake View, there is something for everyone.